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Farmer-led success

Farmer-led success
Thriving Southland's catchment coordinator Ginny Kennedy. Photo supplied.

Since 2020, Thriving Southland has helped grow the number of catchment groups in the region from 18 to 37.

According to Ginny Kennedy, the organisation's newly employed catchment coordinator, the catchment collective's success is due to its farmer-led approach.

"We aren't the heroes or the experts. It's farmer-led, and it's got to come from them."

Kennedy said a catchment coordinator's role is not to offer solutions but to help farmers access what they need, whether that be more funding, scientific expertise, or help with administration so that they can achieve their desired outcome.

"Farmers all have the knowledge and the solutions.

"If you give farmers a problem, they'll solve it."

Kennedy has been hired due to the significant growth of the collective, whose groups include over 2000 farmers and community members and cover 95% of the Southland area.

Kennedy said that community engagement is compounding.

"People see good things happening and want to be a part of that,

"Farmers learn so much from each other."

Kennedy is supporting the Waiau, Upper Oreti and Upper Mataura catchment groups.

Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust's Wai Connection initiative funded the role.

The initiative aims to empower community catchment groups by providing tools and knowledge to help them identify issues in their local catchment area.

Kennedy grew up near Rakaia and studied environmental resource management at Lincoln University.

For twelve years, Kennedy and her husband managed a sheep and beef farm in Wakitipu.

Two years ago, after the farm was sold to foreign investors, the family moved to Southland, settling in Te Anau.

Until recently, Kennedy has been working in the farm environment field in farm planning and consultancy for Landpro.

Kennedy's farming background means she can empathise with the challenges farmers are facing.

"I've always felt a real connection with farming.

"From a young age, I loved farming and the environment I was in."

Kennedy has a balanced perspective, having been on both sides of the table as a farmer and as a farm consultant.

"It's beneficial knowing how to relate farmers, and knowing the pressure they have on a day-to-day basis., and being practical with solution, approaches and mitigation."

Likewise, Kennedy said her consultancy role has given her a good understanding of regulations, preparing her well for the coordinator role.

"I had three years in a farm environment team, got good exposure and experience doing farm environment plans and consenting.

"But I could see at the time there was more value to be given to farmers through other means."

Kennedy believes the more flexible approach of catchment groups achieves better results than steadfast regulations.

"When people are just ticking boxes, they lose the whole purpose of what they are trying to achieve.

"People end up fighting the regulations, and trying to outsmart them, and lose sight of the fact we all want to improve the environment with the best practice we can."

Kennedy said she would measure her success as a coordinator by determining whether the farmers in the catchment groups are achieving the outcomes they are aiming for.

"Have they achieved their project? Have they achieved their goal? Our success is only measured by their success."

By Claire Inkson